


Trust

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Brothers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Trust Issues, dynamic duo week 2016, knife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7736317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian storms out of the cave after Dick accuses him of starting a fight with Tim. While he's out on his own patrol fuming over the lack of trust in the cave he runs into Slade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

> This was the day one prompt written for Tumblr's Dynamic Duo Week 2016.
> 
> Day 1: "Put the knife down, now"

“How can I trust you on patrol if I can’t even leave you alone for five minutes?” 

The words rang in his head even an hour into his solo patrol. Damian had hoped that punching a few criminals would help him calm down. Instead it only increased his anger. Grayson couldn’t trust him? After everything they’d been through, everything they’d done, he sided with _Drake_. He accepted his version of the truth over Damian’s with little proof on either side besides their words. 

Grayson always told him to examine his surroundings, investigate the location and situation before jumping in, question people, find evidence of wrongdoing, and yet at the first sign of bloody noses between Damian and Tim he’d immediately decided the culprit, tried, and sentenced Damian in his own mind. 

“Hypocrite,” the word had slipped out unbidden, though Damian had no desire to take it back, as his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed in an attempt, any attempt, at hiding the ache racing through him.

Drake’s betrayal had hurt, but Grayson’s was unbearable. Damian thought they’d moved past not trusting each other. He’d believed that he and Grayson were partners, Batman and Robin working together, that his older brother actually valued Damian’s opinions, that he was more to his brother than a duty to Bruce. 

Apparently he was wrong. 

Grayson had said something after Damian accused him, but he hadn’t heard it. His chest had been aching, like an elephant had sat on it, and Damian had known if he didn’t leave he’d break down. Tears were the last thing he wanted to show in front of both Grayson and Drake, so he’d fled. Took off for patrol on his own, to cool down. 

Instead he kept replaying the night’s events in his head, over and over as if doing so would magically make the whole mess go away, or at least help Damian come to terms with it. It was a distraction, and he needed to block it, but trying to push it down only made his chest hurt more. 

He’d never felt this way before, the aching betrayal was eating away at him and the tears were getting harder to hold back. He was a master of meditation, could keep his emotions in check no matter what, so why was this affecting him so badly? 

He didn’t have time to figure it out as his line snapped, midway across two buildings. Damian’s eyes went wide as he dropped, his hand grasping for anything to help him catch his fall, before a wire wrapped around one of his ankles and yanked him out of his free fall, and into a stop just above the pavement. 

Something in his ankle gave and he bit back a scream as it twisted awkwardly against the wire. He slipped out a knife and cut the cord, dropping him the last foot or so to the ground. He sat up and tugged the wire free from his screaming ankle, fully intent on giving Grayson an earful about catching him like that, when he realized the boots that were approaching him didn’t belong to Dick, he looked up to see black and orange. 

In a moment he’d jumped to his feet, ready for a fight, before he stumbled backward to the brick side of a building, his ankle giving out as a result of the abuse it had taken, the knife dropping from his hand as he reached out to catch himself. 

“Slade” he growled, attempting to salvage the situation as best as he could.

The man’s body language spoke the volumes his covered face didn’t, he’d cut Damian’s grappling hook, and thrown the wire that had caught him, “Robin it’s nice to see you again.”

Damian’s ankle was still protesting so he adjusted his stance against the wall, letting the brick take more of his weight, “Nice is not what I’d call cutting my line, what are you doing in Gotham? Shouldn’t you be off in a jungle somewhere chasing a bounty?”

He shrugged, “I came in for business, but it’s just not the same if you don’t take some time out for pleasure.”

“If you think—”

Slade stepped towards him, leaning to scoop up the fallen knife, “I know I’ll get something out of this encounter, I’ve already got you, that’s one step closer to me having Grayson.”

Damian grit his teeth, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way out of this. He couldn’t run, his ankle wouldn’t support him more than a step or two, and he didn’t have a spare grapple, having stormed out of the cave before he could finish his pre-patrol checks on his equipment. 

Fighting Slade was out of the question, he’d have to strike hard and fast to do any good in his condition, and then where would he go? He was _not_ going to call Grayson to help him on this. It could just as easily backfire, plus he wasn’t sure his brother would even come. 

That thought hurt worse than his ankle, but Damian couldn’t shake it. He just couldn’t believe Grayson would come for him, not with how messy things had gotten, not with his brother unable to even trust him, because if he didn’t trust him, if he didn’t believe in Damian, then why bother even worrying about him in the first place?

“I am curious, what had you so distracted that you missed me tailing you for over five blocks?” Slade asked, spinning the knife between his fingers, Damian split his attention between the expressionless mask and the knife, unsure which would strike first or harder. 

“It couldn’t be that you fought with Grayson, could it? Maybe that’s the reason you’re out here all alone with no back up?”

Damian hardened his glare and he could just imagine Slade’s grin, “So you did fight,” his voice was laced with victory, “That will make dropping you bruised and bloodied at Grayson’s feet all the better.” 

That was not going to happen, not if Damian had any say in things. He launched himself off the wall, at Slade, sending them both to the ground in a heap, his fists going for any point that would hurt the most. Surprise gave him the upper hand, and for a moment Damian was sure he was going to win. 

Then Slade managed to get a hit in, knocking Damian’s temple. The pain distracted him for a moment, but that was all it took for Damian to find himself hurled back towards the wall he’d been leaning on, the wind going out of him as his back connected with the brick. 

A boot came down hard on Damian’s ankle and this time he did scream as it cracked, his vision going white. A hand dragged him up by his collar, his back scratching against the brick. Slade tugged his mask back with his free hand before glaring at Damian, “Now, do us both a favor and call Batman for me.” 

Damian spat in his face in response, “The hard way it is,” Slade wiped his face with the back of his free hand before adjusting the knife and pressing it to the crook of Damian’s arm, “Now, you just tell me when to stop cutting alright?” 

“Slade! Put the knife down, now!” Damian wouldn’t have believed it was Grayson if he hadn’t seen Batman himself standing there, batarang at the ready. 

Grayson had come. Despite his situation relief flooded Damian at the sight of his older brother. Grayson had been looking for him, had been worried. The thought warmed him a little, until he remembered their fight, what had Grayson come for? Worry or duty? 

The knife moved to Damian’s throat, “Grayson, at last. I was wondering when you would come for your lost Bird.” 

Dick stepped towards them, “I told you to drop the knife, Slade.” 

Slade pressed the tip closer to Damian’s throat, drawing a pinprick of blood, “Not another step, I’d hate explaining the kid’s death to his mom, but she’d understand eventually.”

Dick froze and Slade smiled, “Good. I’m sure after everything you two have been through tonight the last thing you want is for your little bird here to come to any more harm, so I suggest a deal.”

Dick’s eyes narrowed, and Slade continued, “Oh yes. It wasn’t hard to figure out why Robin here was so easy to grab, I hope your fight was worth it,” Slade flicked the knife up, and Damian flinched as it sliced into his cheek. 

“That’s enough, what do you want?” Dick growled. There was a dangerous undertone to his voice that dispelled the last of Damian’s doubts that his brother had come for any reason but worry about him. 

“You know exactly what I want, Grayson. I didn’t appreciate your little visit when you two came to interrupt Talia’s operation.”

“You killed millions of people Slade, needless to say, you had it coming.”

“And you had this coming,” Before Slade could make good on his threat Dick threw his batarang, knocking the knife from Slade’s hand. Damian took that moment to kick out with his good foot, catching Slade in his stomach. Slade dropped Damian to grab his stomach allowing the him time to roll out of the way. 

With Damian safe, Dick pounced. He couldn’t help but watch with appreciation at how efficiently his brother was fighting, he took down Slade easier than he’d seen him fight in a long time. It was only when Slade threw a second knife at Damian that Dick paused, sending his own batarang to intercept it. That delay gave Slade enough time to leap to one of the widows above them.

“We’ll finish this another time, Grayson,” he called in parting before disappearing up the side of the building and onto its roof. 

Dick was by Damian’s side then, his eyes roving Damian for any extra injuries, a hand going to his cheek, “You ok, Dami?” 

Now that the fighting was over Damian felt everything from earlier rushing back, the fight, his anger, the hurt, a pinprick of embarrassment at running. He looked away from Dick, “How’d you find me? I turned off my comm.” 

“It’s pretty easy to follow you when your upset, you leave a trail of unconscious thugs,” Damian could hear the smile in his brother’s voice, there was a pause before, “Tim told me what happened.” 

Now Damian turned to look back at Dick, his brother looked apologetic enough with half his mouth turned down in a frown at himself and his eyes earnest, “I’m sorry Dami, I should have listened to you, should have taken time to really feel things out. I should have trusted you more.”

Trust, the word still stung, “I thought you couldn’t trust me.”

Dick flinched back, “Damian, I’m trying to apologize.”

“And I’m making sure you apologize for everything.” 

Dick grinned at that, “I _do_ trust you, I never should have insinuated that I didn’t,” He pressed his forehead against Damian’s, forcing the younger boy to look him in the eyes, “Forgive me? Please?”

Damian nodded, leaning back. He never could resist Dick’s earnestness. It was impossible to stay mad at him, not when he was so sincere about everything. 

“Tt, alright. I forgive you, Grayson. Just never do that to me again.”

His brother’s face took on a serious countenance, “Damian, I promise. I’ll never make that mistake again.” 


End file.
